System and method of searching for electronic data

• US 6,879,978 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2001
• Issued: 04/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kamada, Eiichi, Yoshiura, Hiroshi, Aoshima, Hirokazu, Kikuta, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Channavajjala, Srirama
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mofiz, Apu M
• Application Number:
  US09/975,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20020065819A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• Field of Search: 707/9, 707/106, 707/104.1, 707/3, 707/4, 704/233, 705/14, 705/26, 705/28, 709/224, 380/28
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation

Abstract

A search service provided by an electronic data search system including a search center and at least one authorization center. The search center receives a search request from an information browsing apparatus and in response searches for URLs that are associated with a search condition included in the search request in a search database that registers URLs of Web pages, associating those URLs with respective search conditions. The search center presents the information browsing apparatus with link information to the detected URLs. When the search request also includes a condition that authorization by the authorization center be given, then URLs that are registered in the search database associated with the search condition, and registered in the authorization center are searched. Link information of detected URLs is presented to the information browsing apparatus and the authorization center registers URLs of Web pages opened by information disclosing persons who have been given authorization.

Claims

1. A electronic data search system for presenting an information browsing person with information having links to electronic data satisfying a search condition received from said information browsing person comprising:

a search center; and

at least one authorization center,

wherein said search center comprises;

a search database in which an address of electronic data opened to the public by an information disclosing person is registered, being associated with a search condition of said electronic data,

search request receiving means for receiving a search request, which includes a search condition, from a terminal of an information browsing person, and

search means for searching for an address of electronic data that is registered in said search database being associated with a search condition included in a search request received by said search request receiving means from a terminal of an information browsing person, and for presenting the terminal of said information browsing person with information having a link to the electronic data of the detected address,

wherein said at least one authorization center comprises;

an authorization registration means for registering an address of electronic data opened to the public by an information disclosing person who satisfies predetermined authorization conditions, in an authorization database,

wherein, when a search request, which is received by said search request receiving means from a terminal of an information browsing person, includes not only a search condition but also a condition that authorization by a certain authorization center is given, then said search means searches for addresses of electronic data that are registered in said search database being associated with said search condition, and registered in the authorization database of said authorization center,

wherein said search means presents information having links to the electronic data at the detected addresses, to the terminal of said information browsing person,

wherein said authorization center further comprises;

cancelled-authorization registration means for registering an address of electronic data deleted from said authorization database in a cancelled-authorization database,

wherein said search center further comprises;

cache means that periodically accesses said authorization database of each authorization center, obtains contents of said authorization database of each authorization center, and holds the obtained contents in a storage device provided to the cache means, and

wherein when a search request received by said search request receiving means from a terminal of an information browsing person includes not only a search condition but also a condition that authorization by a certain authorization center is given, then said search means searches for addresses of electronic data that are registered in said search database being associated with said search condition, and registered in said authorization center'"'"'s authorization database held in said storage device by said cache means, and not registered in the cancelled-authorization database of said authorization center, and then said search means presents information having links to the electronic data at the detected addresses to the terminal of said information browsing person.

2. A electronic data search system for presenting an information browsing person with information having links to electronic data satisfying a search condition received from said information browsing person, comprising:

a search center; and

at least one authorization center,

wherein said search center comprises;

a search database in which an address of electronic data opened to the public by an information disclosing person is registered being associated with a search condition of said electronic data,

search request receiving means for receiving a search request, which includes a search condition, from a terminal of an information browsing person, and

search means for searching for an address of electronic data that is registered in said search database being associated with a search condition included in a search request received by said search request receiving means from a terminal of an information browsing person, and for presenting the terminal of said information browsing person with information having a link to the electronic data of the detected address,

wherein said at least one authorization center comprises;

an authorization registration means for registering an address of electronic data opened to the public by an information disclosing person who satisfies predetermined authorization conditions, in an authorization database,

wherein, when a search request, which is received by said search request receiving means from a terminal of an information browsing person, includes not only a search condition but also a condition that authorization by a certain authorization center is given, then said search means searches for addresses of electronic data that are registered in said search database being associated with said search condition, and registered in the authorization database of said authorization center,

wherein said search means presents information having links to the electronic data at the detected addresses, to the terminal of said information browsing person,

wherein said authorization center further comprises;

mark issuing means for issuing an authorization mark having a link to said authorization center to an information disclosing person who opens electronic data of which an address is registered in said authorization database through said authorization registration means, and for permitting display of said authorization mark on said electronic data,

verification request receiving means for receiving a verification request that includes an address of electronic data from a terminal of an information browsing person, and

verification means for verifying that an address of electronic data, which is included in a verification request received by said verification request receiving means from a terminal of an information browsing person, is registered in said authorization database, and for presenting a result of verification to the terminal of said information browsing person, and

wherein in response to an information browsing person'"'"'s operation of selecting an authorization mark displayed together with browsed electronic data, a terminal of said information browsing person transmits an authorization request that includes an address of said electronic data to an authorization center linked to said authorization mark.

3. A electronic data search system for presenting an information browsing person with information having links to electronic data satisfying a search condition received from said information browsing person, comprising:

a search center; and

at least one authorization center,

wherein said search center comprises;

a search database in which an address of electronic data opened to the public by an information disclosing person is registered, being associated with a search condition of said electronic data,

search request receiving means for receiving a search request, which includes a search condition, from a terminal of an information browsing person, and

search means for searching for an address of electronic data that is registered in said search database being associated with a search condition included in a search request received by said search request receiving means from a terminal of an information browsing person, and for presenting the terminal of said information browsing person with information having a link to the electronic data of the detected address,

wherein said at least one authorization center comprises;

an authorization registration means for registering an address of electronic data opened to the public by an information disclosing person who satisfies predetermined authorization conditions, in an authorization database,

wherein, when a search request, which is received by said search request receiving means from a terminal of an information browsing person, includes not only a search condition but also a condition that authorization by a certain authorization center is given, then said search means searches for addresses of electronic data that are registered in said search database being associated with said search condition, and registered in the authorization database of said authorization center,

wherein said search means presents information having links to the electronic data at the detected addresses, to the terminal of said information browsing person,

wherein said authorization center further comprises;

mark issuing means for issuing to an information disclosing person, who opens electronic data of which an address is registered in said authorization database by said authorization registration means, an authorization mark embedded with an electronic watermark of signature information for said electronic data or for information relevant to said electronic data, and for permitting display of said authorization mark on said electronic data, and

wherein in response to an information browsing person'"'"'s operation of selecting an authorization mark displayed together with browsed electronic data, a terminal of said information browsing person extracts signature information embedded as electronic watermark information in said authorization mark and uses the extracted signature information to verify said electronic data.